What is the difference between a linear search and a binary search?

The main difference between a linear search and a binary search lies in the way they search for a specific element in a collection of data.

1. Linear Search:
- Linear search is a simple search algorithm that sequentially checks each element in a collection until the desired element is found or the end of the collection is reached.
- It starts searching from the beginning of the collection and continues until the target element is found or the end is reached.
- Linear search is suitable for small collections or unsorted data.
- The time complexity of a linear search is O(n), where n is the number of elements in the collection.

2. Binary Search:
- Binary search is a more efficient search algorithm that works on sorted collections of data.
- It starts by comparing the target element with the middle element of the collection.
- If the target element is equal to the middle element, the search is successful.
- If the target element is smaller, the search continues on the lower half of the collection.
- If the target element is larger, the search continues on the upper half of the collection.
- This process is repeated until the target element is found or the search range becomes empty.
- Binary search is suitable for large collections or sorted data.
- The time complexity of a binary search is O(log n), where n is the number of elements in the collection.

In summary, the main difference between a linear search and a binary search is that a linear search sequentially checks each element in a collection, while a binary search divides the search range in half at each step, making it more efficient for sorted data.